Bears fifth-round pick Zah Frazier to miss entire rookie season due to 'personal' situation

Chicago Bears rookie cornerback Zah Frazier will miss his entire rookie season due to what general manager Ryan Poles described as a "personal" situation. The fifth-round pick was placed on the reserve/non-football injury list on Monday. 

Poles did not offer many details as to what Frazier is dealing with, but did say it was something that happened before he was drafted by the Bears. 

"He had a situation that presented itself in a category that I would say [is] 'personal,'" Poles said. "As we dug into it, tried to help him out, it revealed itself as something that happened before he got here. So, credit to our staff finding the root cause of what he was going through. He'll be down for the year but he'll spend the time going to meetings, in the weight room and with the medical staff preparing for next season to get ready to play. 

"Kind of a bummer on the front end, but I think because of everyone's hard work and care here we got him on the right path."

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Frazier hasn't practiced since rookie minicamp, but was spotted on a golf cart during a practice session last week, according to ESPN. 

The UTSA product impressed at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine, measuring in at nearly 6-foot-3 with arms reaching almost 33 inches. He ran a 4.36 40-yard dash, which ranked fourth among cornerbacks. 

Frazier was selected by Chicago with the No. 169 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. This past season, he recorded 24 combined tackles, nine passes defensed and six interceptions. Those six interceptions were tied with Notre Dame safety Xavier Watts for second-most in the FBS, and were the most recorded in a single season in UTSA history. It led to a first team All-American Conference selection.